Lebanon is still considered as one of the countries that lack adequate and well-operated
infrastructure for waste management and disposal. The «Not In-My-Back-Yard» (NIMBY)
syndrome contributes significantly to this. Previous attempts for public awareness campaigns were not sufficient nor effective. As a result, unresolved environmental problems have been accumulating for years now, which lead to major issues such as increased air pollution due to waste burning; and water/soil pollution due to inappropriate waste disposal. The already significant waste management challenges faced by municipalities are aggravating due to:
(1) the increasing population (especially with the settlement of the Syrian refugees),
(2) the fast filling of the landfills and dumpsites (and the increasing land cost),
(3) and the economic crisis which limits the financial capacity of municipalities and the citizens.
The municipalities have selected focal points to lead this initiative. The focal points make a team of experts in various fields (environmental engineering, waste management, local governance, infrastructure construction) and having on-ground experience in operation of waste facilities, application of source-sorting plans, and community initiatives.
However, none of the municipalities in Lebanon (as well as the local experts) has a long-term
experience in waste management. Therefore, we would like to request the support of a foreign expert to implement the following roadmap:
Stage 1: Identifying foreign municipalities that have population sizes close to those of the this
network, and solid waste management systems that are applicable and feasible in the Lebanon.
Stage 2: Securing a fund to visit the foreign municipalities; then spend a sufficient time in each one of those municipalities to fully understand their solid waste management system, including success and failure stories
Stage 3: Assessing the various systems in the visited cities and select the ones that would most fit local conditions of the Lebanese municipalities; then prepare a unified proposal for the planning and implementation of the selected systems – in collaboration with the foreign cities.
Stage 4: Identifying potential donors, and acquiring the fund to implement the proposed
project(s).
Topics and members of the WG
| Byblos municipality | municipalities faced significant challenges in managing their waste are now unable to provide an effective and acceptable waste management system. Improper waste management in Informal Tented Settlements (littering, accumulation of waste…) presents a significant risk to health and environment | |||||||
| Ghalboun municipality | ||||||||
| Al Manara Municipality | ||||||||
| el Qaraoun Municipality | ||||||||
| Beit Meri Municipality | ||||||||
| Rmeich Municipality | ||||||||
You can find an overview over the working group indicators here.